Blood-stained banner flag debate swirls over whether or not the Confederate flag is racist. Some people, like the character Thelma from the 1991 film Thelma and Louise, wear T-shirts bearing the symbol, accompanied by a message that says “If this offends you, you need a history lesson.” But there are also many who view it with outrage, anger or disgust. The flag is a kind of Rorschach blot, meaning different things to different people, according to historians and others familiar with its history.

Exploring the History of the Blood-Stained Banner Flag

It’s the symbol of a violent, white supremacy-dominated society, they say. For African Americans, the Confederate battle flag evokes memories of slavery, segregation and racial violence. For some white people, the Confederate flag represents a sense of heritage and pride in Southern culture. It’s not surprising that the flag is used by extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and those involved in the Charlottesville clashes.

The debate over the flag grew out of an attempt to find a design that would embody what Southerners believed about their country and their cause. They wanted something that wouldn’t look too much like the Union’s national flag. In the end, they settled for three successive versions of the Confederate national flag: the Stars and Bars; the Stainless Banner, which featured the battle flag as a canton on a field of white; and the Blood Stained Banner, which was displayed only briefly in 1865 before the Confederacy’s dissolution.

The battle flag is a powerful emblem that’s often seen today on cars, houses and bumper stickers. It’s also used by Confederate heritage groups, such as the Virginia Flaggers, whose plans to place a large version of it on a major highway outside Richmond has drawn criticism from critics who say it’s a sign of hate.

…